Why are folded mountain belts located in Eurasia differently than on other continents?
The surface of Eurasia has a complex structure. Vast plains and mountain zones are not located in the same way as on other continents, where mountains are located on the outskirts of the continents. The mountains in Eurasia are located in the depths of the mainland, they seem to connect two huge mountain zones.
One (Pacific) stretches from north to south to the east of the continent. It is formed at the boundaries of lithospheric plates, where intense movements of the earth’s crust occur. Another mountain belt (Alpine-Himalayan) is located in the south and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.
The mountains of Eurasia arose at different times of mountain building, therefore they have different heights and shapes of surfaces. Through the entire continent from west to east stretches the longest belt of young folded mountains on the planet — the Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, Carpathians, Crimean, Caucasus, Himalayas, and the highlands of Tibet. They were formed in the last alpine era of mountain building, therefore, as a rule, they are tall and powerful, with steep slopes and sharp peak peaks.
